Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Rated R100 minutes2011

A little girl (Bailee Madison), sent to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) in an old, dark house, discovers that the basement is inhabited by murderous little creatures visible only to her. Writer-producer Guillermo Del Toro based this lush, creepy tale on an American TV movie that scared the dickens out of him when he was nine. The remake plays like a shallower, more clichéd variation on his masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth, but its mix of gory effects and deliciously old-fashioned visuals make for a classy, scary horror show. Comic artist Troy Nixey directed, though Del Toro's influence is evident in the genial violence and the juxtaposing of children and terror.
ByMichael Wilmington